Bears Fall to RPI, 4-2, in 29th Annual Big Red Freakout!

TROY, NY - Rensselaer (13-14-4, 7-7-4) scored what would prove to be the game-winning goal 8:33 into the second period as the men's ice hockey team (3-16-6, 2-12-4) fell to the Engineers, 4-2, in the 29th annual Big Red Freakout!, Saturday evening at Houston Fieldhouse.

After nearly 10:00 of scoreless action, the Engineers took a 1-0 lead at 9:58 of the first period, scoring with three seconds left on an interference penalty to freshman Matt Vokes (Auburn, MA). Kevin Croxton collected the puck from Brad Farynuk and fired it past freshman Mark Sibbald (Ridgeway, ONT) stick-side.

However, after matching penalties on senior Jarrett Robertson (Kingston, ONT) and Farynuk at 12:29 and another RPI penalty exactly a minute later, the Bears went up four-on-three for 1:00. Brown's power-play unit controlled the puck in the RPI zone and sophomore leading scorer Jeff Prough's (Farmington Hills, MI) shot from the top of the left face-off circle was deflected into the back of the net, as Brown tied the game at 1-1 at 13:53 of the first. Sophomores David Robertson (Saunderstown, RI) and Sean Hurley (Rutland, VT) each assisted on the goal.

However, just 37 seconds later, at 14:30, RPI regained the one-goal lead when Ryan Swanson's shot from just inside the blue-line beat Sibbald five-hole.

Sibbald made a great save on Mark Yurkewecz when he stopped him on a breakaway at 3:30 of the second, but the Engineers increased their lead to 3-1 at 8:33 of the period when Andrew Lord's shot from the top of the right face-off circle was gloved down by Sibbald. However, he couldn't control the puck, and it bounced out of his glove and over the goal-line for the 3-1 RPI lead.

With under 5:00 left in the period, Brown had a two-man advantage for 48 seconds, after an interference call on Jake Luthi and a five-minute hitting from behind on Dan Peace, but couldn't get past RPI's Mathias Lange.

Brown had two power-plays in the third period, but was unable to convert a RPI held onto the two-goal advantage.

Brown pulled Sibbald with 1:32 left in the game for the extra attacker, and freshman Matt Vokes (Auburn, MA) brought the Bears to within one when he knocked in the rebound of a shot by senior Cory Caouette (Devon, ALB) with 59.3 seconds left.

After the goal, Sibbald was pulled again and Kurt Colling scored the empty-netter for RPI with 41 seconds to go. Brown pulled Sibbald again, but the Bears were unable to get any closer. With the loss, Brown, which has played in more Big Red Freakout! games than any other opponent, is now 0-12-4 all-time in the annual RPI tradition. The Engineers are now 18-7-4 all-time in the Freakout!

Sibbald finished with 16 saves in 59:03 of action, while Lange recorded 21 saves for RPI. The Bears hit the road again next weekend when they return to New York State to face St. Lawrence and Clarkson.